Tom

NHL Survivor

In 2006 when I was 17, I was first diagnosed with aplastic anemia. At the time, I didn't really feel sick until the treatments started. I would soon get used to taking handfuls of pills at a time, being constantly poked and prodded with needles, forgetting what a good nights sleep was like since the nurses would wake me up every few hours to record my vitals, and getting used to the sights, sounds, and smells of hospitals.

I was one of the lucky ones though, the best chance for a cure was a bone marrow transplant and thankfully my older sister, Shannon, was a perfect match. In April 2006 I received my sister's bone marrow and the nurses called that my second birthday. After some time the transplant worked and I began to recover.

After one of the many frequent visits to the clinic, we got a call from the doctors with that life-changing message, "We've found Cancer." The doctors found non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) all throughout my body, so back to the hospital we go. The doctors gave me some more of my sister's T-cell's which slowly fixed everything.

I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the doctors at UCSF, my family, and my friends that gave me a reason to keep fighting. You get only one chance at life and I decided my story wasn't going to end in a hospital bed. Now that I have a second chance I want to walk and fight for anyone else stuck in a hospital bed so they can have a chance at a normal life.

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The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.